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So... going to NYC, I already had a huge list of places to eat. But everyone we talk to had their own recommendations. So my friends insisted we check out this ice cream place. We went Thursday afternoon.
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
65 Bayard St.
New York, NY 10013
(212) 608-4170
www.chinatownicecreamfactory.com
Price: $
Obviously from the name... it's located in Chinatown. It's a little ice cream shop with a logo that looks reeeeally similar to Bowser from Super Mario Bros. haha. I hadn't even heard of it. Seriously... one of the best ice creams of our lives.
My friends HIGHLY HIGHLY recommended the Almond Cookie ice cream. They had a bunch of other really unique flavors too. Like pandan! Most people don't even know what that is! Myself included up until about 2 years ago. And durian... ew. haha. I like that they had an "Exotics" section with flavors like chocolate and vanilla and mint chip listed under there. haha.
My fiance got the Almond Cookie & Pandan (2 scoops) $6.99~ Where else can you get these flavors?! And the combo of these 2 was magical. Sooooo freaking amazing. The Almond Cookie was definitely out of this world. And it had large chunks of crushed up cookies in there.
I got Black Sesame (1 scoop) $4.35~ Cuz let's face it.. I've got a bit of an obsession with black sesame. It is LEGIT! So much sesame flavor. Delish!! Just don't eat it on a date cuz you get black sesame all up in your teeth. hahaha.
We went back again Saturday night because he wanted to take his sister there. Loved it! Of course.
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This was one of the first places on my list. I came across some of their dessert pics on Instagram and was like "OMG. I MUST HAVE THIS!"
Spot Dessert Bar
13 St Marks Pl.
New York, NY 10003
(212) 677-5670
www.spotdessertbar.com
Price: $$
There are like 2 locations I think. We went to the one in Korea-town. It was in a food court inside an office building or something. A little random... but made me feel like I was back in Asia.
We went up to the counter and they had all these amazing pics up on the menu. They recommended that we get the pick 3 tapas for $23~. Essentially you Buy 2, get 3rd at half price. And on the menu it said that 3 desserts feeds about 2-3 people. Now... where I'm from, "tapas" means small plates, and the portions are usually smaller and meant for sharing. So we didn't think anything of it. Each dessert was freaking FULL SIZE! Unless you have 2-3 hungry teenagers or something, I think 3 of these will easily feed 4-5 people. Whoa.... Challenge ACCEPTED! (Keep in mind, this is only about an hour after we finished up lunch at Madison Square Eats! O.O )
Chocolate Green Tea Lava Cake (warm dark chocolate cake filled with green tea ganache served with green tea ice cream) $9.15~
Had to try this cuz we love lava cakes AND matcha. It was pretty and the inside was ooey gooey. But I expected more matcha flavors in the inside ganache. We didn't taste any at all. It was delicious. But the Chocolate Souffle Cake at Roy's is still the best!
Kabocha Cake (warm Japanese pumpkin served with condensed milk ice cream) $9.15~
We all loved this one. Like a warm pumpkin brownie, rich, moist, and full of flavor. I think it was everyone's favorite.
The Harvest (layers of berries, soft cheesecake, meringue kisses, served with raspberry sorbet and black rose milk tea) $9.15~
We got this one cuz it's such a fun dessert! You take the milk tea and pour it all over the "dirt". And it's in layers, so we kept discovering new flavors as we ate this. The best part was the cheesecake crust on the bottom. So try to scoop up all the layers in one bite. The raspberry sorbet was a bit too tart for me so I left that alone.
We ordered wayyyyy too much. There's no way this is for 2-3 people. We still ate it all... what can I say. We don't waste food! :P OMG. I won't lie, I was hating myself a little after cuz I was hurting. And the overabundance of sugar made my face break out! :( Worth is? I'd still say yes. :P
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I had given up hope that we'd make it out to Levain on this trip cuz it was just so out of the way. But luckily, our plans changed Friday and we went to Upper West Side. So then we HAD to take a detour for Levain.
Levain Bakery
167 West 74th St.
New York, NY, 10023
(212) 874-6080
www.levainbakery.com
Price: $
They make my favorite cookies IN THE WORLD! Yes, in the world. I'm not lying, you have to go try it for yourself. Each one weighs like a pound and have the most perfect texture. :) They usually have a line, but it's TOTALLY worth it!
We got a bunch to take back to Dallas with us.
Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookie
$4~ each
You pop one of these babies in the microwave for a few seconds after a few days and they are still amazing.
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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
We went to NYC during Memorial Day weekend. It was my fiance's first time there. His sister lives in Brooklyn and I've actually gone to visit her (2 years ago) before he has! :P
We were there from Thurs-Sun. When I booked the trip, I didn't realize it was Memorial Day weekend! Otherwise I would've stayed longer. Although, after all the eating we did, it's probably a good thing that we didn't stay longer. haha. XD
I'm going to post about our 3 full days there separately, so I can give you an idea of what my vacations are like... or "foodcation" as some call it. :P Then I will individually go into detail about the different restaurants later. So... get ready for the
CHOMP! Food Tour: NYC Edition!
THURSDAY: Day 1.
We were on our own since everyone was working. We checked into our Airbnb apartment and went off to a breakfast/early lunch.
Okonomi
150 Ainslie St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
www.okonomibk.com
This place just so happened to be a 15 min walk from our apartment. Woot! During the day they serve a Set Breakfast/Lunch $15~ There is no menu, and very limited options. It's a very traditional Japanese style meal with smaller portions, very clean and light eating.
We were served Hot Tea to start.
For our entrees we got to choose from their Fish of the Day: Tuna Belly, Blue Fish Collar, and Blue Fish something else... And each dish comes with sides of Bok Choy with Tofu Sauce, Baked Egg, Pickled Vegetables, Miso Soup, and Brown Rice. Then... you can add the Uni with Poached Egg +$6~
I got the Tuna Belly.
We both got the uni with poached egg. You make a well in the rice, pour the mixture in, and mix it all together. Deeeelicious!
He got the Blue Fish Collar. A pretty decent size. Also yummy.
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We met up with a friend sometime in between, and had some matcha lattes from Cafe Jax on the UES (upper east side). I forgot to take a picture!
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Then we had a late lunch with more friends at Shake Shack!!!! One of my favorite spots. He's never been, and was skeptical of my hype. But he loved it just as much as me! :P
Shake Shack
154 E 86th St.
New York, NY 10028
Shack Burger (cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato and Shack Sauce) Single $5.19~ My fiance got this. Loved it! Just a simple, yet amazing, burger.
'Shroom Burger (crisp-fried portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheeses, topped with lettuce, tomato and Shack sauce) $6.99~ This is vegetarian. My personal favorite. YUMMERS~
Crinkle Cut Fries $2.95~ Their fries are so good!
Black & White Concrete (vanilla and chocolate ice cream with brownie bites and cookie dough) $3.50~ I ended up eating most of this because he didn't care for the chocolate side.
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So... going to NYC, I already had a huge list of places to eat. But everyone we talk to had their own recommendations. So my friends insisted we check out this place.
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
65 Bayard St.
New York, NY 10013
(212) 608-4170
www.chinatownicecreamfactory.com
I hadn't even heard of it. Seriously... one of the best ice creams of our lives.
Almond Cookie & Pandan (2 scoops) $6.99~ Where else can you get these flavors?! And the combo of these 2 was magical.
Black Sesame (1 scoop) $4.35~
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Went back to Okonomi for a late dinner. It becomes Yuji Ramen at night. And they only do ramen during dinner, M-F only.
Okonomi/Yuji Ramen
150 Ainslie St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
www.okonomibk.com
Sashimi Plate (blackfin tuna, boston mackerel, porgy) $24~ Porgy is a small red snapper. It came with 2 condiments: Kosho...kind of a spicy yuzu relish, and fish roe sauce. Super fresh. Kosho is awesome! I've never had it before.
Bacon and Egg Mazemen (brothless ramen with meat hook bacon, onsen egg, kale, bonito flakes) $15~ Add cheese +$1~
Kaisen Hiyashi Chuka Mazemen (brothless; chilled noodle, squid, boston mackerel, porgy, clam lip, sweet vinegar soy, sesame) $18~
Ankimo Miso Ramen (creamy monkfish liver broth, torched whelk, arugula) $17~
3 of us shared everything. It was more than enough since we ate all day. Their ramen and mazemen is not to be missed!
I highly recommend EVERYTHING we had today. If you click on each restaurant name, you can see the full review!!! :)
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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